The Guangdong, Chaozhou/Shantou and Hakka cultures have exerted reciprocal influence on the local community. Chaozhou music and Han music, two musical genres associated with the ethnic groups, have been inscribed onto the first National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. More recently, Chaozhou music has been selected as one of the items on the first List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong in 2014. The School Culture Day will feature traditional tunes in the genres of Chaozhou music and Han music, while their close connection to Guangdong music – another musical genre, which is related to the culture of the Cantonese-speaking community – will also be revealed.

An introduction to Chinese and western percussion instruments, featuring lively demonstrations of various types of Chinese and western drums, cymbals, xylophone and celesta, as well as percussive instruments from different regions of China and those used in traditional Chinese opera. Students will be invited on stage to perform, and Ronald Chin and the Hong Kong Drum Ensemble will demonstrate a few famous tunes. Students will even learn the standard percussion piece “Synergy Drumming Routines” during the workshop.

Ronald Chin is currently Assistant Percussion Principal of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. He founded the Hong Kong Drum Ensemble in 1998. In 2008, he was presented the award for “Outstanding Young Artist” by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and was selected as one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” by the Junior Chamber International Hong Kong.

*Special thanks to the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra for their kind permission for Ronald Chin to participate in the workshop.

The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra was founded in 1977 and is only professional Chinese Orchestra in Hong Kong. The orchestra has been pursuing its mission of promoting Chinese music. The concert will present both traditional and famous pieces, with guided appreciation and an introduction to the instruments of four sections: bowed-strings, plucked-strings, wind and percussion. Students are also invited to participate interactivity, to learn about the characteristics of Chinese music.

It is hard to miss this “King of the Instruments”, handmade pipe organ by Austrian manufacturer Rieger Orgelbau, when you are inside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. To expose the public to this pipe organ’s amazing power as well as its wide range of sounds and huge variety of tone colours, the Centre has invited two outstanding local organists to host this education concert, in which they will illustrate the origin and evolution, the structure, and comparison with other musical instruments through audio-visual displays and live demonstrations to enable the audience to learn more about the playing techniques and appreciation of different styles of organ music; thus stimulating their interest in this “King of the Instruments”.

Salome‭‭‭‭ is an opera in one act with libretto and music both written by Richard Strauss. The libretto in German is based on the French play by Oscar Wilde, who was inspired by a story from the Bible. It had been a controversial production on stage since its first appearance. The original biblical version is that John the Baptist (Jokanaan in Strauss’ play) denounces the incestuous union of King Herod and Salome’s mother, Herodias, and arouses ire and hate that lead to his imprisonment and eventual beheading. But the story evolved over generations of literary licence, and the nameless daughter of Herod who danced well in the Bible has become the leading role in the opera. Strauss’ opera was premiered at the Hofoper in Dresden in 1905, and since then has become one of the classics in the stock repertory of various major opera houses in the world and famous for its “Dance of the Seven Veils”. The upcoming production in Hong Kong will be jointly presented by Opera Hong Kong and the Slovenian National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, featuring a cast of international and local singers and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. There will be a guided talk before the dress rehearsal.

School Culture Day Scheme

The Legend of Tsuen Wan is a dance drama based on the history of Tsuen Wan, looking at life in a Hakka walled village. The performance tells the story of Tsuen Wan through dance and drama, featuring farming, praying for rain and blessing, and the day-to-day life of a folk village. The extra interactive sessions introduce the production and operation of the fire dragon and wooden boat on stage. Students are invited to practise the blessing custom or dance with clogs.

The Friend Who Loves Apple Pie is a table-top puppet theatre production inspired by the classic tale by the Brothers Grimm, Little Red Riding Hood. The original storyline about the heroine courageously fighting against the big bad wolf to save her grandmother is retained, but a twist and a new moral are added. A kind girl by nature, generous Little Red Riding Hood gives the little animals whatever is left of the apple pie that her mother made. She goes so far as to save the big bad wolf from the trap. The show would also like to share the importance of filial piety with the audience.

Ming Ri Institute for Arts Education is committed to serving the community through edutainment, and undertakes the mission to groom the next generation to always have a smile on their faces. Its recent productions include Snowman and The Dragon Who Can’t Spark.

Maximum capacity per activity #: 100 (30/4, 14/5, 28/5), 80 (7/5)
Duration: 1 hour
Target: P.1 – P.4 students

Tang Tin Hey, born to a Tanka (boat people) family, was abandoned by his parents as a boy. After living and working in the United States for 30 years, Tin Hey responds to his aunt’s words and returns to Hong Kong to look for his lost family. Why Is it simply to understand why he was abandoned Or does he want to prove that he has succeeded, in resentful revenge for 30 years of abandonment In the process, Tin Hey starts to re-learn the Tanka culture, understand the changes in the lives of boat people in Hong Kong, and revisit how they struggled to survive in those days… Will Tin Hey find the answer Will the story end happy or sad

With Tanka people as the theme, this programme presents tales of Hong Kong’s fishing villages, enriched with local characteristics through cappella, dance, sand painting, video and drama, aiming to enable the students to understand fishing village culture and the historical changes of Hong Kong. During the performance there will be a series of interactive sessions and elements of forum theatre, to encourage students to think about the decision-making of the characters in the play. The programme also comprises post-performance drama education activities.